A 20-year-old Santa Barbara woman who allegedly faked being raped by a stranger at the University of California Santa Cruz was offered a plea deal from prosecutors this week.

Morgan Triplett can either accept three years of probation, serve six months in jail, or reject the plea deal and have her case go on trial. Under probation, Triplett would be required to write a letter of apology to UC Santa Cruz, restricted from using social media, and ordered to undergo 60 days of mental health therapy.

UC Santa Cruz Spokesman Jim Burns said the university will not seek restitution for the $15,000 it spent on chasing a phantom rapist, and will gladly accept an apology.

"Would we accept it? Yeah, I'm sure. This was a traumatic event that really unnecessarily traumatized not only members of the campus community but (also) members of the larger Santa Cruz community," Burns told KSBW's Phil Gomez on Thursday.

In February, Triplett posted ads on Craigslist soliciting someone to beat her up on UCSC's campus in exchange for sex, prosecutors said. Several people responded to the Craigslist ads posted Feb. 16.

The following day, the UC Santa Barbara student visited UC Santa Cruz to attend a conference for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender students. She met up with a man who responded to her ad and let him beat her up.

"They had sex, and afterwards she used a cellphone screen reflection as a mirror to see if the injuries were bad enough. (Triplett) then directed him to hit her some more," court records stated.

Triplett called 911 and told dispatchers that a stranger brutally raped her in broad daylight, Assistant District Attorney Joanna Schonfield said. She told police that she had been searching for banana slugs when the man raped her on a walking path.

According to her Facebook page, Triplett works as an HIV test counselor at Pacific Pride Foundation, is a member of UCSB's Queer Student Union, and is majoring in sociology at UC Santa Barbara.

Triplett had bruises on her head and torso when she was treated at Dominican Hospital and she declined to allow hospital workers to take DNA samples. Police sent a suspect sketch to the media and news of the rape spread quickly among Santa Cruz students.

After an 11-day, around-the-clock investigation, UCSC Police Chief Nader Oweis concluded the entire incident was a hoax and said Triplett confessed to staging it.

Her false report "created an atmosphere of fear," District Attorney Bob Lee said. As far as a motive for carrying out the hoax, Schoenfield said Triplett was suicidal.

"Part of the prompting for posting these ads was thoughts of suicide, depression, and wanting somebody to hurt her to almost bring her back to life," Schoenfield said.

Triplett pleaded not guilty in March to one misdemeanor count of filing a false police report. On Thursday, her sentencing in Santa Cruz County Court was delayed because she was not present. She is still living in Santa Barbara and going to school.

Her defense attorney said he would advise Triplett of her options and her next court date was scheduled for July 25.

In one ad, Triplett offered to have sex with anyone who would shoot her in the shoulder with a small caliber bullet, Schonfield said. When no one responded to that ad, the college student posted a second Craigslist ad asking someone to "punch, kick and bruise her," and promised she would not file any charges against the person.

Several people responded to the second Craigslist agreeing to go along with Triplett's plan. A man met Triplett at UC Santa Cruz, beat her up, and the two had sex, court records state.

"They had sex and afterwards she used a cellphone screen reflection as a mirror to see if the injuries were bad enough. (Triplett) then directed him to hit her some more," court records stated.

Triplett then called 911 to report that a stranger had just attacked and raped her on campus, investigators said.

As far as a motive for carrying out the hoax, Assistant District Attorney Joanna Schonfield said Triplett was suicidal.

"Part of the prompting for posting these ads was thoughts of suicide, depression, and wanting somebody to hurt her to almost bring her back to life," Schoenfield said.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors agreed that locking the student in jail until her next May 23 court date was not appropriate. The judge required some conditions before Triplett was allowed to leave court on her own recognizance Friday. Triplett may only use the Internet to complete school work and she must continue psychological counseling sessions in Santa Barbara where she lives.

According to her Facebook page, Triplett is majoring in sociology at UC Santa Barbara, works as an HIV test counselor at Pacific Pride Foundation, and is a member of UCSB's Queer Student Union. She is originally from Reno, Nevada.

Triplett's father, Richard Triplett, covered his daughter's face as she was whisked in and out of the Santa Cruz County courthouse.

When news of a rape at UC Santa Cruz spread among students, many became concerned that their campus was not safe. University officials took several steps to improve safety.

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